Onboard Shop Vac

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by john61ct

The smaller units don't have same specs.

Still very capable https://www.shopvac.com/product/shop...tnum%3A2030100

Don't get cheap off-brand.

Some say the Dewalt rechargeables are OK.

I have that one. It’s a loud little beast but works well and I’ve kicked the @&$! out of mine for a few years. You can also get filter bags for it.

I also have a B&D rechargeable hand vac that I would not go without.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by rbk

I’ve been throwing around the idea (as mentioned above) about mounting it under the cockpit and running a length of pipe to the v berth and putting a couple pick up points along the way for a cheap DIY built in vacuum. Just attach the hose and one of 3-4 outlets, do what you need and store the hose. No need to drag the whole thing out. Have seen similar in another boat.

Honestly it’s easier to use a cordless hand vac for regular boat cleaning. Zip around with it and bam you’re done. I only use the 1.5 gal shop vac for maintenance cleanup.

[Excalibur5]

We had a installed central vac which was a Craftsman wet dry vac plumbed into rigid line run throughout the boat. If you do this avoid any bends in the line. We spent more time unclogging the lines than vacuuming as there were 5 90 degree bends in the system.

In the end we scrapped the central vac idea and bought the milwaulkee m18 suitcase unit and love it. It goes anywhere and just works. Everything from getting the last bit of condensation out of the bottom of the bilges to cleaning up spilled rice.

One note though- get the large battery for it. With the big one we get around 15 min of run time on a charge, generally enough time do the whole boat.